Best Vape Mods: A Buyer's Guide

1. Vaporesso Armour G
2. Geekvape Aegis Legend 3
3. Innokin PZ Pulse
4. Smok Morph 3
5. Voopoo Drag M100S
6. Innokin Gozee

1. Vaporesso Armour G (Tested)

We ran the Armour G for a full week, paired with a 0.2 ohm GTX mesh coil and Vsavi Platinum Red at 0mg, 100% VG.

It's a compact mod with a 3000mAh internal battery and adjustable output up to 80W. In hand, it's genuinely comfortable to hold and grip well, and more compact than a lot of mods in this power range, which makes it easier to get a solid grip on. It is a little on the heavy side, though the solid build gives it a reassuringly substantial feel rather than feeling cheap.

We found the sweet spot with the GTX mesh coil sat around 60-65W, giving the best balance of flavour and vapour without pushing the device too hard. Above 70W the main body became noticeably warm, particularly around the chipset area, which is worth knowing if you tend to vape at higher wattages. A full charge from empty took around 75-80 minutes on a 5V/2A socket, and typical battery life ran to about a day to a day and a half of moderate-to-heavy use.

The one real downside from testing: leaving the device overnight upside down and on its side produced slight leakage, and keeping it upright through the second half of the week's testing led to some condensation and coil flooding. If you're the kind of vaper who leaves a device lying flat or upside down between uses, that's worth factoring in.

In Joe's words: “The Armour G feels solid without being as bulky as some other mods I've used. I liked the grip and the size because it sits comfortably in the hand, although it is a little heavier than I'd prefer. I found 60 to 65W gave me the best balance with the 0.2 ohm GTX mesh coil, while running it above 70W made the main body noticeably warm.”

2. GeekVape Aegis Legend 3 (Tested)

We ran the Legend 3 for a full week, paired with a 0.15 ohm XM coil, two Efest 18650 2600mAh 40A batteries, and Vsavi Platinum Red at 0mg, 100% VG.

It's noticeably heavy and considerably bulkier than the Armour G, which comes down to the well-built zinc-alloy chassis, thick silicone coating and running two external 18650 batteries rather than one internal cell. Despite that, it's genuinely comfortable in the hand: the soft, leather-like grip sits well in the palm even at this size, and the smart lock sensor built into the body proved useful during everyday handling.

We found the sweet spot with the 0.15 ohm XM coil sat around 70-85W, giving the performance we were after without needing to push further. The AS Chip 4.0 architecture kept temperatures well under control through testing: the device stayed relatively cool even pushed beyond 80W, only becoming warm above 110W. A full charge from completely flat batteries took around 70 minutes on an external charger, and battery life ran to about a day and a half with moderate use, or around 10 hours under heavy use.

No leaks. We left the device standing both upright and on its side overnight during testing and saw no leakage either way, unlike the Armour G above.

In Joe's words: “The Legend 3 is noticeably heavier and bulkier than the Armour G, but I actually found it comfortable to use because of the way it sits in the palm. The soft, leather-like grip is really good and gives you a secure hold. I found 70 to 85W was the sweet spot with the 0.15 ohm XM coil, and even when pushing the mod above 80W it did a good job of keeping the heat under control.”

3. Innokin PZ Pulse (Tested)

We ran the PZ Pulse for a full week, paired with an Innokin PZP Max 0.2 ohm coil and Vsavi Cherry at 0mg, 100% VG.

It's a pod-mod hybrid with a rubberised IP68 body and a matte finish, and it strikes a good balance in the hand: solid and well-built without feeling as bulky as a larger dual-battery mod like the Aegis Legend 3. It is a little on the heavy side, though noticeably lighter than the Legend 3. It uses a clear pod rather than a traditional tank, so you can see remaining e-liquid at a glance.

We found the sweet spot with the PZP Max coil sat around 65-70W, and the mod became noticeably warm above that, particularly around the metal base of the pod. One thing worth knowing before you start: the PZP Max coil carries a substantial amount of cotton and needed at least 15 minutes of priming before use, longer than a lot of coils need, so give it that time rather than vaping straight away. A full charge from empty took around 70 minutes, and Innokin's own fast-charge claim of 80% in an hour held up in testing, reaching that mark in about 60 minutes from completely flat. Battery life ran to around a day to a day and a quarter with moderate-to-heavy use.

No visible leaking when left on its side overnight, though we did notice slight condensation when the device was kept upright towards the end of the week's testing, similar to what we saw with the Armour G.

In Joe's words: “The PZPulse feels solid and well built without being as bulky as some of the larger mods I've used. I liked the rubberised grip and the fact that it fits nicely in the hand, although it is still a little on the heavy side. With the 0.2 ohm PZP Max coil, I found 65 to 70W was the sweet spot, although the metal base around the pod did start getting noticeably warm above 70W.”

4. SMOK Morph 3 (Tested)

We ran the Morph 3 for a full week, paired with a SMOK TA 0.2 ohm replacement coil, two Efest 18650 3000mAh batteries, and Vsavi Platinum Red at 0mg, 100% VG.

It's a substantial dual-battery mod, but the profiled body sits well in the palm and gives a good grip, and despite its size it felt a little lighter in the hand than some similarly sized mods. The zinc-alloy build feels solid without tipping into feeling like extra weight for its own sake.

We found the sweet spot with the 0.2 ohm coil sat around 45-50W, lower than either the Armour G or the Legend 3 above, giving the best balance for normal use without the heat that came with pushing higher. The mod did become noticeably warm during extended chain vaping and at 70W and above, mainly around the base of the T-Air Sub-Ohm Tank and the upper body, though it never became uncomfortably hot during testing. A full charge from empty took around 90 minutes on a 5V/2A socket, and battery life ran to around a day with heavy use, or about two days with moderate use.

No leaking, tested on its side, upright and upside down. We did see some condensation and minor coil flooding towards the end of the week, though this may have been influenced by the extent of the testing itself rather than a device fault.

In Joe's words: “The Morph 3 is a good size for a dual-battery mod and I found it comfortable to hold because of the way the body is shaped. It feels solid and well built but is a little lighter than some similar-sized mods, which helps. With the 0.2 ohm coil, I found 45 to 50W was the sweet spot, while higher wattages and extended chain vaping did make the area around the tank and top of the body noticeably warm.”

5. Voopoo Drag M100S (Spec-Based)

Up to 100W of output, a leak-resistant pod design and a three-inlet airflow system, continuing Voopoo's Drag line. It takes either a single 18650 or 21700 battery, giving some flexibility depending on which you already have. Features include a lockable switch, temperature control, and an Eco Mode.

The three-inlet airflow system is Voopoo's way of letting you adjust the draw more precisely than a simple open/closed dial, which is worth knowing if you switch between tighter and more open vaping styles depending on mood or e-liquid.

Taking a single battery rather than a dual setup keeps it closer in size to the Armour G above than to the bulkier dual-battery mods like the Legend 3 or Morph 3, though we haven't tested it ourselves to say how it compares in the hand or in real-world battery life. The lock switch is a genuinely practical touch on any single-button mod, since it's the easiest way to stop a device firing accidentally in a bag or pocket.

6. Innokin Gozee (Spec-Based)

A simpler mod aimed at mouth-to-lung vaping specifically, running up to 60W from a 2100mAh internal battery, with a range of colour options and compatibility with Innokin's Zenith coil range.

Capping out at 60W rather than the 80-230W range of the other mods here makes the Gozee the closest thing on this list to a step up from a pod kit rather than a full-power mod, which suits an experienced mouth-to-lung vaper who wants a bit more adjustment than a fixed-wattage pod kit gives, rather than someone chasing bigger clouds or sub-ohm output

The Zenith coil range it's built around is a well-established Innokin line with plenty of resistance options, so finding a replacement coil shouldn't be difficult if you already vape MTL and want more control over your wattage than a simpler device allows.

A note on coverage: the Vaporesso Armour G, GeekVape Aegis Legend 3, Innokin PZ Pulse and SMOK Morph 3 above were each tested over 7 days in the V2 UK Testing Room, with 0mg 100% VG e-liquid, covering charge time, wattage sweet spot, heat behaviour, battery life and an overnight leak test.

The remaining two picks in this guide are compared on specification and manufacturer-stated performance only, clearly marked as such above. We'll update this guide with genuine test findings for the remaining picks as that testing happens.

Choosing the Right Vape Mod for You

Vape mods generally offer more customisation than a pod kit or a cigalike: adjustable airflow, temperature control, and variable wattage. That's the appeal for an experienced vaper, but it's genuinely more than most people switching from smoking or a single-use disposable need to deal with on day one.

If you're deciding between a single, dual, or larger internal battery, this mostly comes down to how you vape day to day. Higher-VG e-liquid vaped direct-to-lung draws more power and drains a battery faster, so heavier daily use favours dual 18650s or a larger internal cell. A single 18650, 21700 or 20700 battery is fine for lower-powered use, and a larger internal battery suits lower-wattage, mouth-to-lung vaping where you'd rather not carry spares.

Using a Vape Mod Safely

• Read the manual before first use, or check the manufacturer's own tutorial content, rather than guessing at settings.
• Keep batteries in good condition: charge external batteries in a dedicated case, and don't let internal batteries sit permanently on charge once full.
• Only use the charger provided or one recommended by the manufacturer. Don't leave a device charging in a pocket, and use the lock switch if the device has one.
• Keep the tank or pod clean and clear excess e-liquid after refilling.